Fresno County sees localized flooding, downed trees in storms

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- In Fresno County debris, fallen trees, and localized flooding are drawing response from county leaders.

Fresno County Public Works is keeping a close eye on weakened trees around the county as rain, winds, and snow move through.

Damage from previous years is making the trees more susceptible to falling and putting people at risk.

"We have a number of trees in our Sierra and in the mountain areas that have been impacted by bark beetle and also impacted by the bark beetle too," said Nathan Magsig, Fresno County Supervisor.

"Because of that, as winds come up and soils get saturated with water, a lot of trees can tend to fall, and also many limbs can tend to fall off trees as well."

On Sunday afternoon, first responders were called to Ockenden Ranch off Tollhouse Road due to reports of people trapped in a car under a tree.

Action News saw several first responders at the scene, including three ambulances.

Fresno County Supervisor Nathan Magsig wants people to keep those dangers in mind and be prepared if they head up to play in the snow.

"It's important to make sure if you're going to go up and enjoy the snow, have a vehicle that is appropriate for that snow, take chains with you. They're required even if you have a four-wheel drive vehicle," said Magsig.

The County Office of Emergency Services is also keeping an eye on lower elevation areas prone to flooding.

So far, they said they've seen downed tree limbs and localized flooding.

That's consistent with what they'd expect in the first storms of the year, and they haven't reached last year's severity.

"As far as anything that would elevate to the level of last year where we'd have to activate our emergency operations center, we haven't even reached that far; we're not even close to that right now," said Terri Mejorado, Fresno County OES Emergency Manager.

If you see flooding or downed limbs that could cause safety issues, you're asked to report them to the county.

The Fresno County Office of Emergency Services said the Kings River, the Friant, Pine Flat Dams, and the lakes behind them have plenty of capacity to take on more water.

OES also has sensors in the rivers across the county to help them take a more proactive rather than reactive response if waters reach concerning levels.

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